Profiling a Profiler
by evankovakski
Summary: When JJ is suspected of multiple murders, she claims that it's Michael Hastings revenge after his escape from the BAU when JJ was kidnapped. However, the team, overwhelmed with compelling evidence showing that JJ is the unsub, is torn between doing their job by apprehending her or going against the law to help their, possibly, innocent friend (set in season 10)
1. Chapter 1

In this story, Hastings escaped and Askari died back in '200'. He escaped on his helicopter, but dropped his phone, not receiving the downloads. He's been in hiding since then, and this starts around 10x11 (The Forever People), with JJ beginning to have her PTSD. While it's set around that episode, it is not set in that episode.

/JJ\

The smell of food being cooked filled my nose and my eyes open unconsciously. I had a day off today, and that meant Will was cooking breakfast. I eagerly sat up and quickly rubbed under my eyes, eliminating the eye gunk that would collect around my eyes whenever I slept late. Late, for an FBI agent, being 8:30 in the morning. After getting out of the bed and throwing on a sweatshirt, I went down the stairs and into the kitchen, seeing Henry at the table and Will at the stove.

"Good morning, buddy!" I said to Henry who looked to me.

"Good morning, mommy," he replied and I kissed the top of his head, and I then looked to Will, who looked over to me.

"Mornin', sleeping beauty," he smiled and I laughed with a little blush in my cheeks.

"Good morning," I said back and walked over to him, planting a kiss on his lips. He pulled me back in with a hand on my lower back after the first kiss broke and we kissed again with more passion. The kiss broke again when Henry expressed his juvenile disgust.

"Yuck!" he exclaimed and Will and I laughed.

"Bud, you're gonna be kissin your wife like this one day," Will said and I nodded in agreement. I went to the island counter and got a plate to prepare for Henry. Will put part of the scrambled egg mixture on the plate, along with two pieces of bacon.

"Not true," he said, shaking his head. "Tyler at school says girls have cooties."

"So you think mommy has cooties?" Will chuckled as I raised an eyebrow at Henry while setting the plate of food in front of him. He tried to stifle a smile, but couldn't help it, and nodded at me. I faked a gasp.

"You think I have cooties?" I asked and rubbed his hair and pecked his cheek.

"Yes," he said in between a giggle. I handed him a fork and went back to the plates, picking up my own. I got my eggs and bacon, along with a mug of coffee, and sat next to Henry, and then Will sat next to me once he got his own food on his plate. "Daddy, do you have to work this weekend?"

"Nope," Will answered with some bacon in his mouth. He finished chewing and swallowed before talking again. "So I was thinking you and I, bud, could go out for a nice burger tomorrow night, huh?" Henry nodded excitedly and looked to me.

"Are you coming, mommy?" he asked and I shook my head after taking a sip of coffee.

"No, you and daddy haven't had a boy's night in a long time, so you two go out and do your own thing," I answered and Henry nodded. I know that both he and Will did enjoy their boy's nights. We sat in a bit of silence, eating our breakfast, before Will spoke up.

"By the way, Jayje, I called that therapist since that's what Dr. Mark recommended last week. She can start with you in two days, so on Monday, or-" he said and I looked at him, confused and a bit irked. I knew what this therapist was about.

"Why?" I scoffed with mild annoyance, interrupting him.

"It's gonna be a year, you know," he said and I looked to Henry, who had an empty plate.

"Buddy, would you mind letting mommy and daddy talk for a little bit?" I asked and he nodded, picking up his plate. "Put that in the sink, Henry. I'll take care of it. Go put on your shoes and get a jacket from your room. We'll play soccer once me and daddy are done, ok?"

"Ok!" he said, setting the plate in the sink and running upstairs. I waited until I heard his door close before talking again.

"Why do you think in front of him was a good time to talk about this?" I asked, my tone a little aggressive.

"He doesn't know, and I wanted to let you know before I forgot to mention it to you," he said, sounding a little defensive. "I don't know why it is such a big deal. I know you don't want to talk about what happened with me, so talking with a professional will help. That's what Dr. Mark suggested, remember? And you nodded, agreeing with the man."

"I don't need to talk about my feelings," I said in a tone that made it sound like that was obvious. Will looked down and then back at me.

"You've been a little distant lately, it seems. I'm just tryin' to help, Jayje," he said and sighed when I said nothing. "After the bank a few years ago, I went to a therapist and it helped. There's nothing wrong with talking about things."

"What's there to talk about, Will?" I asked harshly and stood up, picking my plate up as well. I went over to the sink and started to rinse it off. "I was abducted, Cruz was too, I got hurt, but the team got there and I'm fine now. What's there to talk about?"

"But you're not fine," Will said and set his plate on the counter. He set his hands around my waist from behind me and laid them on my pelvic area. "I get that you don't wanna talk with me or your team about it, but just please try one session with the therapist, ok? For me?"

I stifled an irritated sigh and realized he was stubborn too. Not as stubborn as myself, of course, but I nodded slowly and set the plates in the sink.

"Ok," I said quietly. "We'll see how the first session goes." I turned around, facing Will now. "But if I don't like it, then we're cancelling the rest, got it?"

"Yes, m'am," he smiled and leaned in to kiss me, but I flung my still-wet fingers from washing the plates at him and he shut his eyes as water got on him. I laughed as he wiped the water off his face and patted him on the shoulder.

"You can put the plates in the dishwasher. I got a boy that needs to be taught soccer moves," I said as I brushed past him. Will caught my hand and quickly pulled me back towards him and the sink and grabbed the nozzle and turned on the water, pointing it at me and squirting water back at me. I shut my own eyes and wiped the water away as Will laughed back at his successful payback. I grabbed the nozzle from him with speed and pointed it at him and he put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I said and nodded to the dishwasher with a smirk. "You're unloading that when it's done washing for spraying me."

"Or what?" he asked in a playful way, baiting me into spraying him. I put the nozzle back and looked down at his feet then back at his face.

"You're sleeping on the couch," I said and nudged him. His smile disappeared in a fake worry.

"I will unload that thing as soon as it's done," he said and I smiled back, then leaving to go put on my shoes.


	2. Chapter 2

/JJ\

"You call that a kick?" I smirked at Will as I easily stopped the rolling back with my foot. Will squinted his eyes at me and I lightly passed the ball to Henry.

"Kick it at daddy!" I encouraged and Henry wound up his foot backwards and connected with the ball, kicking it hard towards Will. Will tried to catch it, but it slipped right through his hands and passed him, hitting the fence behind him after landing on the ground. I raised my arms up and looked back to Henry. "Awesome kick, buddy!"

"Daddy missed it!" Henry laughed and I shared in his amusement as Will came back with the ball in his hands.

"It's cause I'm getting old, that's why," Will said, defending himself against our poking fun. I looked to Henry and bent down, rubbing his tummy.

"Daddy isn't getting old, he's just embarrassed you're better at soccer than him," I said and stood up straight. "You'll make varsity your freshman year, buddy!"

"Really?" He asked, eagerness in his tone. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out, looking down at it. Garcia was calling.

"Yeah," I said, stifling a sigh. I looked to Will and held up my phone, indicating that I probably had to go in for a case. He nodded slightly and I went into the house as Henry kicked the ball at Will again. I shut the door behind me and answered my phone.

"Hey, Garcia," I said, already bracing myself for the bad news that we had to go in.

"Hey girly! Wanna go out tomorrow with Kate and I?" She asked in a chirpy voice.

"Uh-" I stuttered, not expecting that to be the reason she was calling.

"We were thinking of going to get some drinks since we have the whole weekend off," Garcia spoke quickly, sounding very excited about it. "Well, if no unsubs ruin it, and-"

"What time?" I asked while chuckling, cutting her off from ranting about her excitement.

"We'd meet at the Brick Bar around 7," she said and I nodded to myself.

"Ok, sounds good. See you guys tomorrow!" I replied and hung up. I crossed my arms and looked down, smiling a little. I was happy Garcia reached out and wanted me to hang out. I knew she didn't know what was going on; with me and the recent...troubles...from having flashbacks about my abduction and torture last year. She was no profiler, and I felt that I'd done well enough to hide it from them. The only reason Will saw through my cover up was because he was my husband and I lived with him. I appreciated his attempts to help me get through this, but I was fine. Some days were though, and I definitely had my moments of minor panic and post-trauma, but I didn't need help with this. I was more than capable of getting over this myself, and I didn't need my team or husband to get involved. However, Will was already involved, which I finally reluctantly accepted. But, I wanted it to stop with Will. I didn't want or need my team knowing about my recent trouble.

My thoughts ended with the interjection from the sound of the door opening. I put my phone back in my pocket and saw Henry and Will enter the house. Henry ran to the TV and Will came over to me, setting a hand on my side.

"Got a case?" He asked, his tone slightly somber and expectant that I'd say 'yes.'

"No, actually," I said with a little surprise myself. "It was Garcia...but all she wanted was to ask me if I wanted to go out tomorrow."

"Oh," he said, surprised as well. "You're gonna go, right?"

"Yeah," I said with no hesitation. I gave him a weird look and narrowed my eyes. "Why?"

"It's just that Henry and I are doing our burger dinner tomorrow night, so you would've been by yourself. And I think going out will be good for you, with all that's been going on."

"Yeah," I repeated and nodded, agreeing with Will about going out and having some fun being a good thing.

"Daddy, can we go bowling?" Henry said from the couch.

"Bowling? You wanna go bowling?" Will chuckled and looked to me.

"You should take him. Turn that boy's night tomorrow into a weekend," I said a little quietly to him.

"You don't wanna come?" Will asked and I shook my head.

"Nah," I said and kissed his cheek. "You guys go out. I need to run to the grocery store anyway for dinner tonight."

"Alright," he said back to me and turned to Henry. "Get ready to lose, boy."

"Nu-uh!" Henry laughed as he ran to get his shoes on from the closet. I smiled at Henry and then looked to Will and put my hand on the back of his neck.

"He's a good bowler too," I said and patted his chest with my other hand, kissing him after. "You'll lose."

"We'll see about that," Will smiled and kissed me again. He went to go get his own shoes on and I got my car keys to go to the store. Henry came back into the kitchen and I looked to him.

"Want anything from the store, Henry?" I asked and he nodded happily.

"Can you get me ice cream cones and ice cream?" He asked and I gave him a hesitant look.

"Didn't I get you ice cream last time?" I asked and he paused, then nodded quickly, lying. "You little sneaky sneak!" I laughed and pointed a finger at him. "I did."

He giggled, partly from laughing from me teasing him and partly from nervousness. "I know," he giggled again and I started a list on my phone.

"I'll get you ice cream again, but make sure you take it easy on the sweets, ok?" I ordered and Henry nodded in understanding. "Ok," I bent down and patted his butt, seeing Will waiting for him at the door. "Go have fun with daddy!"

"Bye, Jayje," Will said and Henry ran over to him, waving to me as the exited the house. I grabbed my keys and phone and put on my own shoes. Closing the closet behind me, I went to the front door and left the house myself, locking the door once I shut it from the outside.


	3. Chapter 3

/JJ\

I opened my eyes, the sun streaming through the blinds on the window. Will was laying next to me, snoring quietly. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair, pushing loose strands out of my face. I looked back to Will, who was still sleeping. He and Henry came home just before dinner last night, and Will got called in after we finished eating. He didn't get home until late and I knew he was exhausted. He got home so late that I was too tired to stay up any later for him last night that I went to bed. I only knew he was home when I heard him come into our room last night, which woke me up. I fell back asleep nearly right after, however. After Henry and Will left to go bowling, I was pretty busy afterwards, so I was tired and a little anxious.

I got up from the bed and went into the bathroom and to the mirror. I quickly threw my hair up in a bun and washed my face, then exiting and being careful to not make too much noise as I went through the bedroom to go into the hall. I went down the steps and saw Henry playing on his game console while sitting in front of the TV.

"Good morning," I said and he looked back at me, before returning his eyes to the screen.

"Good morning," he said back and I opened the fridge, pulling out yogurt and strawberries, along with the gallon of milk.

"You better not be spending all summer on that thing, ok?" I said to Henry. One week into his break and I could already tell he was getting a little bored at home with his nanny when Will and I were at work.

"I know," he said back quickly, clueing me in on the fact that he was trying to focus on his video game. I pulled out two bowls, one for Henry and I since I didn't know how late Will wanted to sleep in, and got out two spoons as well. I cut up the strawberries on the plastic cutting board nearby and put them over a few spoonfuls of yogurt in each bowl.

"Henry, do you want granola in your yogurt?" I asked from the pantry, grabbing the bag of oats for myself and possibly Henry.

"Yes," he said quickly.

"Yes, 'please'," I corrected him.

"Yes please," he said a little quieter. I poured some granola over each bowl and each mediocre parfait and stuck the two spoons into each bowl. I set one on the table for Henry and kept mine on the counter. I poured the milk into a small glass and set the glass next to Henry's breakfast.

"Turn that off and come eat," I told him, regarding the game.

"Can I have an extra two minutes, please?" He asked, adding on the last word after a few seconds of finishing his original sentence.

"Ok, but hurry up. You don't want warm yogurt." I opened the front door and walked swiftly outside, picked up the newspaper, and returned inside. After removing the plastic around the paper, I threw it out and set the paper next to my bowl of yogurt.

/Will\

I made my side of the bed and faintly heard JJ and Henry talking on the first floor. I stretched my arms and back before leaving the bedroom and going downstairs. Henry, at the table, and JJ, at the counter, both looked at me when they heard me enter.

"Hey, good morning," JJ said as she came up to me and kissed me. I rubbed my forehead in a tiered manner.

"Mornin,'" I mumbled back, still sleepy. Unfortunately, I had to wake up since I had to go into work in an hour.

"Why aren't you sleeping in?" JJ asked and I looked over to the clock on the stove.

"I gotta go back in an hour or so," I sighed.

"Are we still going to get a hamburger tonight, daddy?" Henry asked, looking back up from his bowl of yogurt. JJ went back to her bowl on the counter.

"I don't know, bud," I groaned with honesty.

"What's the case?" JJ asked.

"A Middle-Eastern man was..." I started to say, but looked to Henry. It was a gruesome scene with quite some rage thrown into it. I looked back to JJ, who went a little pale. The sight was odd, since she was no stranger to brutal killings, but I ignored her weird facial expression and continued talking. "He got hurt...a lot."

"Do you guys," She asked slowly. "have any leads?"

"Kinda," I said and glanced back at Henry really quick. "Since the man got hurt a lot, we figure that the person that hurt him knew him in some way. But, I'm no profiler," I smiled and JJ smiled, although it seemed force. What was up with her?

"No, you're not," she laughed and looked back at the clock. "Alright, I'm going to go for a run really quick."

"A run?" I asked and looked outside, only to see it raining. "Can't you see the rain, woman?" I joked and JJ smirked, seeming less stiff and more normal.

"So what?" She smiled and brushed past me to get her rain jacket and shoes from the closet. She went back to me and pecked me on the lips. "Just because I have a day off doesn't mean I can't do a quick workout."

"Alright, go ahead and get a cold," I chuckled, putting my hands up in false respect for her going for a run in the rain. "Nobody is stopping you. Just make sure you're back in an hour because that's when I'm leaving."

"I know," she said after tying up her shoes. She went to the door and opened it. "See you both in a bit!" She shouted before closing it behind her. I looked over to Henry, who was playing with his yogurt.

"Boy, you better eat that otherwise we are for sure not getting that burger tonight," I said and he rolled his eyes after groaning with an over-dramatic emphasis. I looked back at him one more time before going to the paper that JJ was reading. I looked at it and was met with a confusing sight. The page she was just looking at was the front cover, talking about the murder that I had just told her I got called in about.


	4. Chapter 4

/JJ\

"I'm back," I shouted as I came in through the front door. I pulled off my hood and saw Will come down the stairs, holstering his gun as he walked.

"Just in time," he said and held his hand out. I slipped off my jacket and gave it to him. I followed him down the hall and kept walking to the kitchen when he put my jacket in the closet. Henry was sitting in front of the TV, playing his video game again. I felt Will put his hand on my side and I turned back to face him.

"See you both later," Will said and kissed me.

"Have a good day," I said when the kiss broke and looked back to Henry as Will exited the house. "Not too much longer on that. I want you to read today."

"But it's summer," he whined without looking back at me. I just crossed my arms and he turned back, noticing my meaningful silence. "Ok..." He groaned, turning back to the TV after seeing my firm expression. I walked back down the hall and up the stairs, to mine and Will's room, and went to our bathroom. I untied my shoes and took them off, along with my socks, before remembering what time it was. I quickly got out of my running cloths and just threw on a pair of leggings and long-sleeved shirt before brushing out my hair and putting it back up to appear less greasy from my run. I went back downstairs and to the family room, where Henry was.

"How about you go read now and then you can go back to playing later, ok? Dr. Phil is on and mommy would like some TV time," I told Henry and put a hand on his head.

"Ok," he said with a bit of mope to it. I grabbed the remote as he turned off his game and flipped through the channels until I reached the one I was searching for. Dr. Phil appeared on my screen, along with two siblings telling him about their problems of their parents inheritance. I shook my head at them, not understanding how anyone could fight with their brother or sister like this.

Nearly four episodes later, Henry came back and that's when I realized how long I'd been watching TV. How did I lose the time like that?

"Mommy, can I play now?" He asked and my head shot back, seeing Henry standing a few feet behind where I sat. I looked at my watch and saw it was just past one in the afternoon.

"Oh, yeah," I nodded. "Of course. Let me make lunch too, ok bud?"

"Can we have chicken nuggets?" He asked, a drop of excitement in his tone and I smirked while nodding.

"I think we can do that," I smiled and went into the kitchen, pulling out a bag of frozen chicken nuggets from the freezer. After sticking them in the oven, I pulled out a cucumber from the fridge, peeled it, and sliced it, putting a small dish of ranch out as well. I set them both on the table and heard the oven alarm go off minutes later. I removed the food and placed a few on two separate plates.

"Lunch time," I said to Henry.

"Can I eat while I play?" He asked.

"Ok..." I said slowly, feeling a bit hurt that he didn't want to eat with me. I knew it was nothing personal and that he didn't mean anything by it, but still. "Just be careful, alright?" I warned as I put cucumber slices and ranch on his plate and brought it over to him, along with a napkin.

"Ok," he said and took the plate from me. I went back to my plate and ate, looking at my phone while doing so. After cleaning my plate off, I looked back to Henry, who was eating and playing.

"I'm going to go nap and shower, buddy," I said, checking the time. "I'll be back down in an hour or two. Clean off that plate once your done and you can have one brownie, got it?"

"Got it," he responded and I went upstairs. I went into the bathroom, turning on the light and fan, and removed my leggings. Then, my shirt. I looked in the mirror and froze for a moment, as I always did when I saw them. My scars from last year. My burns from Askari's torture. I lightly put my hand over my electrical burns and felt a small, yet familiar, rage and slight fear crawl back into my mind.

/Garcia\

"What are you hissing at?" I asked, looking at Sergio. He was stiff and hissing at something out of my view. Sergio was blocking the mysterious culprit to his hisses from my vision and I got up and went next to him to see a spider on the floor. "Cmon, you can take him," I encouraged the cat and he quickly pounced at the spider, that just as quickly scurried away, heading towards my door. "Oh, great. You pissed the spider off, Serge," I groaned and heard my phone ring. I looked to it, then back at Sergio. "You better catch it."

I went over to my phone and picked it up, not bothering to see who it was. "Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Garcia," I heard JJ say on the other end.

"Hey, hello!" I said, excited about our night out tonight. "Are you ready to party tonight? Kate texted me just a few minutes ago and told me how excited she was since we haven't been able to hang out, the three of us, much since she's joined the team and-"

"Garcia," JJ said, a little sternly in a way. The tone I was so familiar with meant that she either had bad news or was trying to tell me something and was cutting me off from ranting. I stopped talking to allow JJ to speak. "I'm sorry, but I can't make it tonight."

"What the fridge?" I asked, shocked and a little angry. "But we were going to go to the Brick Bar and drink and have a jolly good time! It won't be as fun without Jennifer Jareau!"

"I know," she said, sounding tired and sad herself. "But I need to stay in tonight because of Henry. Will is working late and I can't get a sitter."

"Reid could-"

"No," JJ laughed a little. "Remember last time?"

"Oh yeah..." I laughed back a little and then sighed. "Well, ok. Another night?"

"Another night," JJ confirmed. "You and Callahan have fun, though! We'll figure out another time."

"Ok," I said somberly. "Bye."

"Bye, Garcia," JJ replied and I hung up. I sighed and set my phone down, looking back at Sergio afterwards. The spider crawled towards the TV stand and Sergio just followed it slowly while still in pounce stance.

"I'll do it myself then," I said, speaking to Sergio as I grabbed a paper towel.


	5. Chapter 5

/JJ\

"You cleaned some of your room, right?" I asked Henry, sitting on one end of the table, while Henry sat at the other end. He nodded and I nodded back. "Good. Because someone is coming in to check the vents soon, you know. I don't want him walking through your room is it's a mess."

"I know, I cleaned it," he said and I picked up my empty plate. I washed it off and set it into the dishwasher.

"I called Brenda and she's coming to watch you tonight."

"Where are you going?" He asked, finishing his own plate of food and washing it off at the sink. I shifted a little.

"Out with Aunt Garcia, remember?" I lied and Henry nodded. "I'll be back later tonight and I don't know when daddy will be back, but I'll call the house and let Brenda know and she'll tell you, ok?"

"Ok," he answered and I heard a knock at the door, which was probably Brenda. I quickly walked to the door and opened it. Sure enough, Brenda was standing there.

"Hey!" I said happily with a bit of relief that she could come on such short notice. "Thank you for coming!"

"Of course, of course," she said and walked in. I closed the door behind her and Henry ran up to us. "Hello to you!" Brenda smiled, looking down at Henry and he giggled.

"Hello," Henry replied and I grabbed my keys from the table nearby.

"So I'm going out with a few friends, and I'll be back within a few hours. Will is working late, so I'll probably be home first and around 11."

"Ok, sounds good," Brenda said, looking back up to me. "Have fun, Jennifer."

"Thank you," I said back and looked to Henry. "You be a good boy." He nodded while smiling and I smiled back, then opened the door and left the house.

/Will\

I crossed my arms and leaned against the desk facing the murder board. Murad Amari, our victim, was a real mystery. No known job, no close family, no real reason one would want him killed. At least, no reason that we could deduce so far. I put my hand on my chin, looking over the pictures of his murder. I was no profiler like JJ, but I could already tell the killer of Murad knew what he was doing. I glanced at my watch, and saw it was around midnight.

"Detective Lamontagne," I heard someone say. I turned back and saw a uniformed officer was calling me. "Another body was found."

"Another one? After one day?" I asked and sighed. This case just got tougher. I headed towards the officer and nodded forward. "Let's go."

We arrived at the scene and saw another Middle-Eastern man on the ground in an alley, dead. I grabbed a pair of crime scene gloves and slipped them on, crouching down afterwards. A pool of blood laid by his head, multiple stab wounds in his abdomen and chest, and, unlike Murad, a boot print was on his shirt, probably from being stomped on.

"This is Amir Salib. 28, blunt force trauma to the back of the head and approximately 13 stab wounds to the stomach," my partner, Erik Arroyo, pointed out, holding the victim's wallet and reading the information off it.

"Exactly like Murad. This is the same killer," I said. "Where does this guy work?"

"He's unemployed, according to Mick at Intelligence. A few officers are going to go check out his apartment."

I felt Amir's body and it wasn't that cold. "He was killed recently," I said and felt it again. "Very recently."

"Within the past 2-3 hours," Madison, the medical examiner said and I stood back up, removing my gloves.

"No family in the States of Amir's besides his girlfriend," Erik said and I ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head.

"Whoever is killing these men is dangerous and this looks like a race thing, which means media is going to go crazy over this," I said and looked to Erik. "Where's the captain?"

"Talking to the girlfriend," he replied, pointing over to the yellow tape. Captain Brown stood on the inside of the tape while Amir's girlfriend was sobbing on the other side. I walked over to him and waited until he finished talking to her before she was handed over to another detective to answer some questions.

"What is it, Lamontagne?" he asked once I pulled him aside.

"Sir, we have not yet found a reason anyone would want Murad dead and we've worked on his case almost a full 24 hours non-stop. And now another Middle-Eastern man exactly like Murad is killed by the same offender."

"And?"

"I came here to ask if we could all in the BAU to help out before this escalates. My wife is part of the team, as you know, and they wouldn't hesitate to help."

"...Fine," Captain Brown said after a few moments of hesitation. "Help never hurts. Tell her tomorrow and that's when they can start helping."

"Thank you, sir," I said and went back over to Amir's body.


	6. Chapter 6

/Morgan\

JJ walked quickly into the round-table room and sat down in between Rossi and I. We all looked to her as she entered and then at each other in a confused fashion. We had all been waiting here for about 10 minutes before JJ showed up. She was never one to be the last one to get to work. She set her bag down and then looked up at all of us, who were looking at her.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, a little out of breath from rushing inside. We all looked at her for just another second before Garcia got started.

"So, DC PD is requesting our help with the violent murders of two Middle-Eastern men, Murad Abari and Amir Salib, who were stabbed multiple times in the stomach along with blunt force trauma to the head. No known close or immediate family to either one of them, no known connection between the two yet except that they're both Middle-Eastern," Garcia said.

"Why are they requesting our help?" I asked. "It seems like it's a hate crime."

"If it was a hate crime, there'd be a higher body count and spontaneous attacks," Hotch pointed out.

"These aren't spontaneous? Both Murad and Amir were found in alleys. How do we know these were premeditated?" I asked.

"We know they were premeditated because of those alleys they were found in. This person is careful. Someone committing hate crimes wouldn't take the time to wait and kill when their victims were secluded."

"Other than the fact that Murad has a cousin in Ohio and that Amir has a girlfriend, there's really nothing else about these guys. No job, no none place of residency...nothing," Garcia said.

"Well," JJ said. "We know they had some place to stay and some money. They're not dirty and they seem clean and well-kept."

"True, they had to be doing something to get money and cash-only money. No credit cards registered to either of them, but pretty nice clothes and shoes," Callahan said.

"Get Murad's cousin in here, along with Amir's girlfriend. Morgan, talk to the cousin, JJ, the girlfriend. Dave and Reid visit the crime scene and Callahan, go to the morgue and see Murad's body if there's anything they missed. We need to find some motive, because there's obviously a lot of rage from the unsub, but no known motive yet."

Everyone got up to go do what Hotch ordered and JJ and I were the last ones to leave.

"Why so late?" I asked in a teasing voice. "You're usually the first one here, blondie."

"Oh..." She said and looked up at me, seeming a little embarrassed. That's when I noticed the faded dark circles under her eyes, which she never had. "Henry just had a soccer thing this morning, and Will is at work, obviously. So I had to take him, but it's all good. My neighbor is going to pick him up, so it's all figured out."

"Gotcha..." I said slowly, trying to figure out why she was being so weird. I knew Henry started soccer, but on a Tuesday morning?

"Is his girlfriend here yet?" She asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, she's right over there in the break room. If you wanna question her in there, I can question Murad's cousin somewhere else," I said after pointing across the bullpen and into the break room.

"Yeah, that should work," JJ said and scoffed a little before smiling. "I need some coffee anyway."

I chuckled back and smiled as she walked out, but quickly frowned once she left. Something was definitely off about her this morning.

"No..." I said quietly to myself, stopping myself from trying to profile her. While she wouldn't know, it still wasn't right. Maybe she just had a rough night with Henry or Will or maybe saw some pictures of her sister or something. Whatever it was, it was none of my business and I quickly erased the thought of profiling her from my mind and exited the round table room.

/Rossi\

"Well I think it's safe to assume he was killed right here," I said obviously, looking down at the amounts of dried blood in the alley from Amir's death. I slipped on a pair of crime scene gloves, as did Reid, and knelt down to inspect Amir's body. "Thanks again for not moving it just yet."

"No problem. I heard Lamontagne requested the help of the BAU and figured you guys see more than we do, so best not to move his body just yet," a detective hovering behind me said. I looked at Amir's head and saw how harsh the trauma was, by the depth of the injury.

"Was this wound done postmortem?" I asked and the detective shook his head.

"Nah. Neither was Murad's, from what the lady at the morgue said."

"So our unsub incapacitated the two men first?" Reid questioned. "Why? Neither of them pose much of a threat or fight."

"Maybe our unsub is weak or lacking confidence to carry out an attack without subduing his victim first?" I suggested.

"Or maybe our unsub is a woman?" Reid threw out but I shook my head in hesitation.

"I don't know," I disagreed slowly. "There's a lot of rage here and that's a deep hit to the head that you'd need some strength to pull off. And typically, female offenders know their victims. Murad has no women in his life from what we know and Amir only has his girlfriend."

"Maybe our killer is a smaller man then," Reid said, seeming to agree with my deduction that our killer wasn't a woman.

"And most likely Middle-Eastern as well, since the Murad and Amir are," I added and Reid nodded. He stood up straight and looked around the body and bent down by something.

"This was left here?" He asked the detective and I stood up straight.

"What was?" I asked and the detective went over to Reid.

"The knife used on Amir. Same with Murad with the knife being left there," the detective said.

"So he leaves his weapon? That's not something a sadist would really do, leaving their killing tool behind," I noted.

"It's a message. This isn't for pleasure. This is either a revenge killing or something like that," Reid said and stood up straight again. "Either way, the unsub has a clear purpose for killing these men and won't stop until all they think wronged them for some reason is dead."

"We need to figure out what these guys were doing to get money," I said firmly and Reid nodded in agreement. I looked at the knife and saw it was sturdy, yet pretty generic. "Was that same type of knife used to kill Murad?" I asked and the detective nodded.

"Yup, stainless steel, 7 inch pocket knife with a black handle. Same type and pretty common. You can find them in just about any hardware store and they're mainly used for camping, so no one looks suspicious buying one."

"Our unsub really is careful," I sighed, knowing it'd be more difficult to catch them if they knew how to not draw attention to themselves.

"We should get back to Hotch," Reid said and I nodded, thinking the same thing.

"Thanks again for the help," I told the detective.

"Thank you for coming," he said and Reid and I both nodded. We headed back to the SUV and left the crime scene of Amir Salib.


	7. Chapter 7

/Morgan\

I entered the round table room, being the last one to finish their assigned task that Hotch gave out. Murad's cousin had a lot to say about Murad and it was a start.

"Amir's girlfriend said he would go out every few hours a day and had some kind of secret job. He never told her anything but promised me he wasn't any kind of prostitute or stripper," JJ started off.

"How does she know that?" Callahan asked. "He was getting money somehow and obviously didn't want his girlfriend to know how."

"She said he left during the day and came back in the evening almost every time. Not to mention he was making way more than a normal street worker."

"So what was he doing...?" Rossi asked. JJ shrugged.

"She doesn't know, that's the problem," JJ answered, almost a little aggressively.

"You know, Murad's cousin was saying the same thing," I said, sharing the information I received. "He said that Murad had a new apartment. Nothing super fancy, but better than what an average stripper would make. He said he didn't know what Murad was doing, but figured it wasn't good news since he was so discreet about it."

"That must be the connection we've been missing," Reid pointed out. "That's probably why they were killed. We have to find out what they did for money."

"Did any of the detectives check their apartments yet?" Hotch asked Garcia and she nodded.

"Yes, yes I think they finished the searches of both Murad's and Amir's," she responded.

"Please go ask them to fax over to file on the searches," he ordered her and Garcia nodded, leaving the room to go do what Hotch asked. Hotch turned to Callahan. "What did you get from Murad's body?"

"The medical examiner said that the stab wounds on Murad were pretty shallow. I mean, deep enough to kill him, obviously," Callahan said. "but they weren't super deep. The first few were also a little jagged, probably from a shaky and nervous hand. There was clear hesitation in both the stab wounds and the blow to the head. One blow was shallow, and then there was another one to fully incapacitate Murad."

"This is a weird case," I said, feeling a sour look appear on my face. "Neither Murad or Amir are really tall or even muscular. They're both smaller and thin, almost no muscle on either of them. Why would the unsub incapacitate them first, then barely get the knife in them if they're so angry at them?"

"What're you thinking?" Hotch asked me. "That the unsub is a woman?" I nodded.

"Reid and I originally suspected that but then we saw the stab wounds and how many there were. And female offenders typically know their offenders. No woman were in Murad's life and Amir only has his girlfriend."

"Either this unsub is experienced and trying to confuse us on purpose or they're completely unorganized and probably devolving," Callahan said with a bit of annoyance.

"This is just a weird case," I sighed.

"It's not weird," Hotch said sternly. "It's just like any case we've worked before. We'll get more information from Murad's and Amir's apartments and Amir's full autopsy report. For now, we check Murad's and Amir's footsteps the days leading up to their deaths and see what we can find. Let's stop complaining and get to work." Hotch left the room with Rossi following behind him and the rest of us all looked around at each other.

"What's his deal?" I scoffed and everyone shrugged.

"Probably just stressed," Callahan said and then chuckled. "This is a weird case. Just getting a strange vibe from all this."

"I think Hotch's father-in-law is also messing with him. I went into his office and he was just staring at a picture of Jack, and I saw a missed call from his father-in-law on his phone in there," Reid said quietly, just in case Hotch was still in hearing range.

"Why is it any of your businesses?" JJ suddenly snapped. Callahan, Reid, and I all looked at her in surprise. "What ever happened to no inter-team profiling?"

"We were just discussing, Jayje," Callahan said, defending our conversation not in a rude tone, but in an appeasing tone.

"It's not your business to discuss," she said again, even more aggressively. "Stop profiling our own team members." She got up abruptly and left the round table room, then exited the bullpen and went into the elevator.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked and looked to Callahan and Reid. I mean, she wasn't wrong about how we shouldn't profile within the team. I was trying not to do that to her earlier, profile her. But now, I really couldn't help it. I've never seen her flip out like that.

"I have no idea," Callahan said with raised eyebrows. "Is she ok?"

"Where's my girl going?" Garcia asked frantically, coming back into the round table room. "Why is JJ leaving?"

"Probably to cool off," I suggested. "She just got mad at us for almost no reason and then left."

"Is she ok?" Garcia asked.

"That's what I just asked," Callahan said.

"I'm not sure what's wrong with her," Reid said slowly, staring at the bullpen exit. "Maybe she knows what's up with Hotch being on edge?"

"Alright," I said firmly. "Let's stop. She already got mad at us for profiling Aaron, so let's stop profiling her and get back to work. We have an unsub to catch who's most-likely devolving and we need to stop them. So, c'mon, let's get going and we'll worry about JJ later."

/Wil\

I walked inside, looking at my watch really quick as I came in. It was just past 11 at night, sighing as I didn't realize how quickly time had gotten away from me at work. I just finished writing the report on Murad and was almost done with Amir's, but still needed all of the autopsy information. I saw the light on in the kitchen and figured JJ was home.

"Jayje?" I asked and saw her appear from around the kitchen corner in just an unbuttoned blouse and underwear. "Woah," I said and smiled at what she was wearing. She smiled back and I went up to her and hugged her, then kissed her with passion. "Where's the kid?" I asked quietly when the kiss broke.

"Upstairs, I put him to bed so you and I could have a little alone time tonight," she whispered back and I smiled again.

"You're a genius," I said and went to kiss her, but she stopped me.

"How about you get in something a little easy to remove and then come back down here. I'll get two glasses of wine ready," she said in a flirtatious tone and I nodded in agreement. I went upstairs quickly but quietly and changed out of my button up shirt, tie, and slacks into a t-shirt and gym shorts. I headed down the stairs and heard the clinking of glasses and figured she was getting a few glasses all set up. I re-entered the kitchen and smiled again when I saw JJ.

"When did you even get home?" I asked, taking the glass of wine she handed me.

"Around 9. I left for a few minutes around 6 then went back, and then came here when Hotch sent all of us home."

"Why'd you leave for a little bit in between?" I asked and sipped my wine.

"Oh, just Morgan and Spence were being a little...annoying. I left just to clear my head and then went back to work," she answered a little reluctantly.

"How so?" I asked again, taking another sip.

"They just were," she responded, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "Anyway, let's just get back to the important stuff." I nodded in agreement and picked her up, my hands on her bare upper thighs, and set her on the counter, kissing her after doing so. I ran my hands behind her neck and through her hair, and she ran hers down my back and chest. I continued kissing her before I felt a little light-headed and tired. After a few more seconds, I broke the kissing between JJ and I and shut my eyes hard, then opened them back up to try and tried to wake myself up a little more.

"Are you ok?" JJ asked, putting her hand on my cheek.

"Yeah, I just got super tired," I laughed, a little embarrassed and annoyed that this was preventing me from having a good time with JJ. "Not sure why, really."

"You feel warm," JJ said with worry, moving her hand from my cheek to my foreheads.

"Really?" I asked and felt my forehead. It didn't feel that warm, but I was probably trying to make myself believe that because I hated being sick. My body felt a little weaker and my eyes a little heavier.

"You really don't look good, Will. Are you that stressed from work?" She asked and I nodded a little. Work was making me pretty stressed and fatigued in general. "You better get to bed now then so you're able to get up earlier tomorrow to get to work."

"Yeah...yeah..." I said slowly, even more tired. Work was really wearing me out and tonight I finally felt its toll. "You're right. Sorry, Jayje."

"It's ok," she said easily and kissed my cheek. "Sleep well, ok? I'll be up there in a little bit. I'm gonna watch a little bit of TV before I come up."

"Ok...Goodnight, hun," I slurred and went to the stairs. When I entered our bedroom, I quickly pulled off my shirt and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.


	8. Chapter 8

/Will\

My alarm blared loudly and caused my eyes to lazily open. I rolled over my side to face the end table and saw JJ standing there, already dressed, turning off the clock.

"Hey, sorry," she said. "I snoozed it twice for you already and you slept through both times. Are you ok?"

"Yeah," I said, quickly sitting up, causing my head to feel a little light. I looked at the clock and saw it was almost 8. "Dammit, why didn't you wake me up if I slept through the alarm?!" I asked a little aggressively.

"I thought it'd be better to let you sleep in a little after last night," she said softly and I sighed, realizing I was a little too harsh towards her just now.

"Sorry..." I said, apologizing for my tone. But, what did she mean by 'after last night'? I didn't really remember last night. Did I have too much to drink. "What happened last night?"

"What do you mean?" JJ said, scoffing a little, not knowing I was serious. "You came home and I got us some wine, but you really didn't look good after a few minutes and I told you to go to bed early. I thought you were sick or something and I just watched a little TV. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah..." I answered and rubbed my eyes in an attempt to wake myself up more. "Just was out of it last night, I guess." I got out of bed and JJ moved over a little so I could get through and headed into the bathroom. I turned on the sink water to the cold side and cupped my hands together.

"You still look a little off, Will," JJ said, her voice a little uneasy. I splashed my face with the cold water and felt much more awake, alert, and out of my odd slump. "Maybe you should stay home today...?"

"Nah," I said, hearing how much better in my own voice I sounded after waking myself up. I dried off my face on the nearby hand towel and looked to JJ. "I feel better." She frowned and tilted her head while crossing her arms, not believing me. "No really, I do. And anyway, we need all the people we can get on this case. You guys got any ideas on who's doin' this?"

"Nope," she sighed but caught herself. "Well, we have some ideas, but not any leads or firm profile yet."

"Damn," I sighed as well and went over to JJ and placed my hands on her hips and kissed her lips. "I'm not worried, though. We've got the best BAU profiler workin' this case full time."

"Reid?" JJ joked, sarcastically not knowing I was talking about her.

"Nope," I said and smiled. "Hotchner!" I teased and went over to the dresser and JJ scoffed and hit my shoulder in a playful way.

"In going to go make the little guy breakfast," JJ said, becoming serious again. "Want anything once you're dressed?"

"Nah, I'm gonna head in to work right after I'm dressed. Can you just put a pot of coffee all set up?" I asked, putting on a shirt while I spoke.

"Sure, it should be done when you come down," she replied.

"Thanks, hon," I said as she exited and I finished getting dressed quickly, as to not waste any time. I walked briskly into the bathroom and combed my hair into its usual style, not needing to shower since I did yesterday morning and I really didn't have time since I slept in. I threw my comb back in the drawer in the bathroom counter and opened the cabinet under the sink to get my deodorant. I grabbed it but saw an odd sight right behind it. One of JJ's headbands, which wasn't what was odd. It was wrapped around something multiple times, and I picked it up to see what was under it. An orange prescription bottle filled about halfway white white pills. I turned to around to see the label and saw it was made out to JJ, but it was a drug called 'Lisinopril'. I felt my expression become confused as I looked at the bottle. I didn't really know what Lisinopril was, but it was prescription for a reason and there were a lot of pills in the bottle, and I'd never even noticed it before. Depression, anxiety? I slowly wrapped it back up in the headband and put it back where I originally found it. I shut the cabinet, about to exit the bathroom, but hesitated just a bit. It wasn't any of my business, why she had prescription drugs, so why was it bugging me? I quickly grabbed my phone and looked up the drug. Surprisingly, I found it to be something to treat depression and was used to help someone sleep better. I finally left the bathroom after being lost in thought about JJ's secret and hidden medicine and went downstairs, into the kitchen.

"Hey..." I said slowly, a little distracted from my find in the bathroom.

"Good morning, daddy," Henry said, sitting at the table, eating cereal that JJ prepared for him.

"Mornin, buddy," I replied and was about to ask JJ about her prescription, but decided at the last moment against it. It really was not my business. She probably just had a little trouble sleeping with the stress of the recent case and the anniversary from her abudction last year. I already offered my help, and was quickly shot down. If it got to the point where it was really affecting her work, her health, or her usual self, I would intervene for sure.

"Sure you don't want anything?" JJ asked me again. I snapped out of my thought and looked to her, shaking my head.

"Nah, I, uh, really gotta get going," I said and grabbed a mug and poured coffee in it quickly. "Bye, have a good day both of you," I said as I left the house and headed to my car. I couldn't stop thinking about JJ's prescription. Instead of turning to me or professional help, she was looking towards medicine? While there's nothing wrong with that, there's more to it. She hasn't been herself recently, now that I thought about it. Drugs like these could be addicting and she was already on loose ground. What if she started taking more than necessary and had a rough night? What if she...

"Stop," I said to myself angrily, interrupting my own thoughts that quickly became darker. "Stop it." It wasn't any of my current business. She was fine, she will be fine, like she always has been. She's still going to work, has a health sleep schedule, she is fine. "She's fine," I mumbled to myself, turning the steering wheel a little to exit the curb where I was parked. "She is fine..." I said again, affirming myself for sure this time.

/Morgan\

JJ walked into the round table room, being the last one again, just like yesterday morning. Not as late as yesterday, but still the last one by a few minutes.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, looking at Hotch. He didn't reply and instead got right to the point.

"DC PD found another body this morning, this time right outside the victim's home," Hotch said and I, along with everyone else, sighed in frustration that another person was killed by this unsub.

"This time," Garcia said, carrying on the information. "It was a white male, not a Middle-Eastern man."

"What?" I asked out loud. None of us saw that coming, as we were expecting another Middle-Eastern man to be the victim.

"Yeah, Caucasian man, already identified as Mark Haston. He was killed around midnight last night and found just two hours ago in his backyard by his fiancée. He's 32, lives with his fiancée, Mindy, in Spring Valley," Garcia continued.

"Spring Valley?" Callahan repeated. "That's one of the richest and nicest neighborhoods in DC, not to mention way out of the unsub's comfort zone. Why the hell would they kill Mark up there?"

"Maybe he couldn't lure Mark out into a more secluded alley like Murad and Amir?" Rossi suggested.

"This unsub is super charming and capable to get his victims where he wants them, just like Murad and Amir. He wouldn't have a problem getting Mark away from his neighborhood if he really wanted to," I said. "Maybe he thrives off the challenge? Knows it's a nice neighborhood with security and a watch community, and found something new to get off on?"

"That could be it, Spring Valley has its own security for the neighborhood with 23 members on active duty every hour, not to mention about 200 members of that area are present in the watch, and-" Reid said quickly, but Hotch cut him off.

"It is a very secure neighborhood, but I don't think the unsub gets off on the challenge. This unsub is mission-oriented, but this one seems more personal, as Mark was killed right outside his own house and stabbed over 20 times, unlike Murad and Amir, who weren't stabbed more than 15. No matter what these men did or what the unsub thinks they did, Mark is the worst in the unsub's mind and that's why he was killed where he was killed," Hotch said quickly and we all nodded in agreement.

"What does he do for work?" JJ asked and Garcia shrugged.

"His fiancée is an accountant but that doesn't explain their super fancy house, and Mark isn't employed, from what I can find out on my computer, just like Amir and Murad," she answered.

"That's our connection then, for sure," Rossi said, emphasizing 'for sure'.

"Anyone talk to the fiancée yet?" I asked and Hotch shook his head.

"Callahan and JJ, talk to the fiancée. Reid and Rossi, go to Mark's apartment, and Morgan and I will attend the place where Mark was killed. Garcia, you keep digging and find out everything you can on Mark," Hotch ordered. We all nodded, understanding our instructions, and stood up to go do what we were told to help catch this killer. I slipped my jacket on and subtly looked at JJ, was looking at the file on Mark.

"You ready to go talk to her?" Callahan asked JJ, regarding talking to the fiancée of the most recent victim. JJ snapped out of reading the file and nodded slowly.

"Yeah..." She said, a little startled. "Yeah." She stood up and followed Callahan out of the round table room and I looked to Hotch.

"Anything seem off to you about her?" I asked and Hotch looked past me and out the door, towards JJ, then back at me.

"I thought it was just me who noticed that..." He said quietly and a little seemingly nervous and unsure. "Keep an eye on her." I nodded and spoke again.

"Ready to go?"


	9. Chapter 9

/Kate's POV\

"Hey, Ms. Sanders," I said lightly, sitting down in front of the grieving fiancée of our most recent victim. JJ sat down as well. "I'm Agent Callahan, this is Agent Jareau. I would just like to say how sorry I am that this happened to your fiancée."

"Please," she said quietly, sniffling a little. "I'm Mrs. Haston. I would've been if Mark was still alive…" She trailed off, staring at the floor and taking a shaky breath.

"We need to ask you some questions, however," JJ informed her and Mindy nodded, still looking down and avoiding looking up at either of us. "Do you know what your husband did for work?"

"What the hell does that have to do with this? Shouldn't you be asking me if I saw anything before he was killed or if anyone would want to do this to him?" She asked sharply, but quietly. Her light brown eyes darted up at JJ as she finished her own sentence.

"M'am," I interjected softly. "These questions that we'll be asking you, all of them, are important. They aren't meant to waste time. We are asking these things for a reason and I promise they will help in catching the person responsible for your fiancée's death. You have to just trust us and answer them with as much information as you can, ok?" Mindy looked from JJ to me and took another deep breath, shut her eyes, and nodded. "Ok, so do you know what your husband did for work?"

"No," she said, still in a quiet tone, while shaking her head. She opened her eyes again. "No, I don't know what he did. He…he didn't really talk about it and every time I asked, he would change the subject or get really mad if I tried bringing it up again. I…I assumed it was either embarrassing or illegal so I just…" she said, but stopped and scrunched her face, preparing for tears to make a reappearance. "I just tried not to think about it." She looked down again and sighed. "He was a very nice man and he loved me so much. He was a perfect match for me and I wanted him to be my husband so bad that I just…I didn't care what he did. Whatever it was, he wasn't gone much…" I shot JJ a quick look and knew we were both thinking the same thing: how was Mindy not concerned or curious about what her husband did for work? I wanted to ask her and frankly berate her for not caring that he was doing something possibly illegal, but knew I couldn't say something like that to a fiancée whose husband was just brutally murdered. "Do you think what he did for work had something to do with why he was killed?!" She asked a little louder, finally catching on as to why we asked her that question in the first place.

"That's our connection between the other two victims and your husband, so yes," JJ answered.

"I already told the police earlier I don't know the other two men," Mindy said and I nodded.

"We know, we didn't ask you about that," I affirmed her. "Did you see anyone suspicious or anything that seemed off outside your house last night?"

"No…everything seemed normal. I mean, you don't really get paranoid in a neighborhood that nice and secure. Mark always took our dog out late at night one last time, so I heard him go outside but fell back asleep before I got the chance to see if he came in…" she said and another few tears came from Mindy's eyes. "Oh god…I could've seen who killed him if I had just stayed awake a little longer! I could've gotten up and went outside and called for help before he got away!"

"No, no," I said, shaking my head quickly. "This is not your fault, ok? Don't think of what you could've done, ok? It is not your fault."

"Are…" Mindy said after a few moments of silence amongst the three of us. "are we done here…? I think I'd like to be done…"

I subtly looked towards JJ again and nodded, knowing we weren't going to really get anything else from Mindy. "Yeah," I said in agreement. "We're done here."

JJ and I walked Mindy out to the elevator and then went back into the bullpen and I looked to her. "Is it me or did Mindy seem weird when we asked her about what Mark did to get money?" I asked and JJ nodded with no hesitation, thinking the same thing I was without doubt.

"Think she knows what he did?" JJ asked and I shrugged.

"Maybe she had some idea, or maybe she's just embarrassed by the idea that what he was doing for money was wrong, no matter what it was," I suggested and JJ tilted her head in consideration. The bullpen door opened behind us and Hotch and Morgan quickly walked in.

"Hey," I said and Hotch looked over quickly to us. "Anything big at the crime scene?"

"No, same as the other two, but Garcia just called and said she found something and that she wanted to show me right away," he said quickly. We followed Morgan and Hotch into Garcia's office.

"Hello, sir, I have pretty interesting stuff-" Garcia started to say, but stopped when she turned around and saw all of us there. "Oh, everyone is here, um, ok..."

"What did you find Garcia?" Hotch asked and Garcia's face clearly showed that she was uncomfortable and nervous.

"Uh, well, I..." She said slowly, not wanting to reveal her new found information. Why she didn't want to, I did not know. "I thought it was just going to be you and Morgan in here, not..." Garcia said and looked to JJ and I. Well, actually mainly JJ. "everyone."

"Garcia," Hotch said sternly. "What're you talking about?"

"I, well, I um..." Garcia said, her voice becoming a little panicked.

"Babygirl, spit it out," Morgan teased a little, but in a serious tone.

"I..." Garcia said, looking just at Hotch. She took a deep breath and started again. "I did what you asked; dug into Mark a little more and found that his..." She cleared her throat. "His real name is Mark Hastings." No one said anything, and Garcia continued on, pushing out the next sentence as if it was one of the most difficult things she's ever done. "And he's Michael Hastings's brother." I felt my eyebrows wrinkle up in confusion, but glanced over at JJ and saw the color drain from her face. Hotch and Morgan looked weird too and I finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry, what's going on?" I asked.

"Michael Hastings," Morgan said, glancing over at JJ, whose face returned back to its normal tone a little. "was the man behind JJ's abduction last year. He organized it all, along with other members of a small terrorist regime."

"Is he still alive?" I asked and JJ quickly spoke up.

"Yes," she said bitterly. "He is."

"Do we think he had something to do with this?" I asked and Hotch shook his head.

"He doesn't fit our profile at all, and he wouldn't put himself out there. JJ, when you were with...them...did you see Mark or Murad or Amir?" Hotch asked, hinting that maybe this was the secret job we were trying to find between our three victims.

"No," JJ said, shaking her head and crossing her arms. "I would've recognized them when I saw their bodies."

"Are you sure? A few of them escaped with Hastings, remember?" Hotch pushed and JJ shook her head again.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said harshly. "I think I'd recognize the monsters who kidnapped me when I'd see them." She left Garcia's office quickly and shut the door loudly behind her.

"Is she ok?" I asked after a few silent seconds.

"Probably just stressed," Morgan said. "I know this case is making me stressed."

"I don't like this," Hotch said.

"What, the thing with Hastings?" Morgan asked and Hotch pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

"Callahan, can you go check on her please?" Hotch asked and I nodded right away.

"Of course," I said and left Garcia's office to go find JJ and talk.


	10. Chapter 10

/Hotch\

I entered the bullpen a little later than I usually did this morning and looked around, not surprised that none of my team was here, as it was still half an hour before it was time for them to come in. Thoughts of the current case quickly came to my mind. It was day five in this odd case. Three bodies over that span and we finally came to the team conclusion that the unsub was indeed female, as there were fist marks on Mark's body and they were smaller, from a female hand, and a revenge seeker or mission oriented in some way or another. Not to mention that we also knew that the most recent victim, Mark Haston, was Michael Hastings brother. I headed up the small set of steps to go to my office, but the glimpse of familiar blonde hair out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I backed up a little and looked into the round table room to find JJ sitting there, seemingly with her hands on her head, her head tilted downward in a tired manner. I opened the door to the meeting room, and JJ obviously was not expecting me, as she quickly sat up straight and brushed her hair back, a nervous tick, once I opened the door.

"Didn't know you were coming in this early today," I said and she didn't even turn around to face me when she responded.

"Yeah," she said quickly and with a tight sounding voice, like she was upset. "Just thought I would since I've been late the past few days and all."

"Are you ok?" I asked and I saw her head move up and down, nodding.

"Yeah," she said, her voice sounding less choked. Sensing obvious doubt, I walked to the table and sat across from her, seeing her face and how distraught it was. It was slightly red and puffy, clearly from crying, whether it be a few tears or from sobbing heavily.

"What's wrong?" I asked sternly, knowing that JJ was stubborn, and this was my business, as whatever was affecting her could affect her work and her ability to help solve this case.

"Nothing," she said, as I knew she would.

"JJ, I need you to tell me what's wrong," I said in the same stern tone I had just used before. "You have been acting very strange lately. Showing up late, losing your temper quickly with the rest of the team, losing your focus." Once I listed the examples, JJ quickly looked down and avoided eye contact with me for a moment, before returning her glance. "Is this about Hastings?"

She didn't say anything for a few moments and then answered.

"Not just about him," she said in a small voice. "His crew, Askari..." She stopped and was obviously about to start crying again. "Hotch, they took my baby," she said and a tear fell out of the corner of her eye.

"What do you mean?" I asked, having a small idea of what she meant in the back of my mind.

"In Afghanistan, I was pregnant," she said and took a deep breath. "And Askari and Hastings set a trap and I...I had a miscarriage." She sniffled, another tear escaping her eye. "Every time I look at Mark's picture on the murder board, I see Hastings, and the Askari," she admitted, her voice dripping with anger now instead of sadness.

"Is that going to affect your ability to work this case correctly and fairly?" I asked honestly and JJ slowly nodded after a few silent seconds. "Ok," I said quietly and nodded to the door. "Take today and tomorrow off. Hopefully this'll be wrapped up by then. Relax and spend some time with Henry."

"Ok," she said after another deep breath. She looked me in the eyes with glassy and red eyes of her own. In that moment, I could tell she wasn't sad or even mourning her miscarried baby from years ago. This was about something else. She seemed worried. She seemed stressed. And most of all, she didn't seem herself. "Thank you Hotch." She put her hands flat on the table and pushed herself up a little. I noticed a bruise along the knuckles of her right hand as she stood up.

"What happened to your hand?" I asked and JJ quickly looked down at it and pulled her sleeve up, attempting to cover it up.

"I went to the gym the other day and was just doing some boxing practice," she said, obviously flustered, then she quickly headed for the door. I stayed sitting until she left the room and quickly pulled out my phone, a worrisome thought creeping into the back of my mind.

"Garcia," I said, dialing her number and talking once she answered. "Get everyone in here now, please. Quickly." I hung up before she even responded and called Will right after.

"Hello?" He said, obviously not expecting me to call. "Hotch, is everything ok?"

"Everything is fine," I said, not wanting to piece the puzzle together, but my gut was telling me what my mind was as well. Why JJ was acting so weird, who our victims were and what they had in common, our profile, and finally, the bruise on her hand. We needed a warrant. "JJ is on her way back to your house. Don't go to work today, just keep her there. Do not let her leave."

"Why?" Will asked.

"Just keep her at your house," I repeated and hung up. After a few minutes, Garcia quickly entered the round-table room, with Morgan and Reid coming in quickly behind her.

"What's the matter?" Morgan asked and I looked to Garcia.

"I need you to trace JJ's phone and car GPS over the past few days," I said and everyone looked at me with surprised expressions.

"What?" Morgan scoffed.

"Why?" Garcia asked with concern and I already started walking to her office, the rest of them following behind me.

"Just do it, that's an order," I said firmly and Garcia quickly sat down and started typing on her computer.

"Hotch, the hell is going on?" Morgan asked and I turned to him.

"JJ had a bruise on her right hand, fairly severe and fairly large."

"So?" Reid said.

"Mark's body had some fist marks on it from a female offender," I answered.

"You think she's our killer?" Morgan snorted. "Cmon."

"She's been acting very strange and on edge, yet seemed composed enough when we told her that Michael was Mark's brother. She didn't even seem surprised," I argued. "She fits our profile. White female, organized, non-threatening, experienced, and a revenge seeker. Amir and Murad assisted in her kidnapped. The building where she was held, Luther and Broadchurch? The address of that place was found at their apartments."

"She's over the abduction, Hotch," Morgan said. "It's been a year."

"Exactly. The anniversary. That's our trigger."

"Don't you think this is a little far-fetched?" Reid suggested.

"Maybe, but her behavior has been bothering and worrying me lately so if I'm wrong, then I really can't tell what's wrong with her. But my gut tells me I'm right," I said and heard someone else enter Garcia's office.

"What's up?" I heard Callahan ask me, regarding why I called them in so urgently. I didn't answer and stared at Garcia's computer as I waited for results.

"Hotch thinks JJ is our unsub," Morgan said and Callahan scoffed like Morgan did before.

"What?" She asked, almost laughing like it was a poor joke.

"Ok, when do you want to find where she was?" Garcia asked me.

"The days and times of the three victims deaths," I ordered and Garcia typed quickly.

"Ok...that would be...five days ago...around 11...three days ago...also around 11...and two days ago...around 2 am," Garcia said to herself and typed, then hit enter, as a few red dots came up on her computer. "Oh God..."

"What?" I asked and her voice turned shaky.

"On Sunday night, when Murad was killed, she was parked near Addison and Westpoint...three blocks from where he was killed. Her phone was shut off, but it was last pinging headed towards where he was killed..." She continued on, her voice becoming more and more uneasy. "The night Amir was killed, her car was still at her house but her phone was last pinged a few blocks from Amir's body before it shut off...and on Mark's last night alive...her car was at her home but her phone was off from 7 pm until the next morning."

"Any other unusual car activity or random turning off of her phone?" I asked and Garcia shook her head. I looked to the rest of the team, seeing Dave was now present too. "Tell me this isn't all a coincidence."

"It's a lot...it can't be..." Callahan said quietly.

"How can you guys say that?!" Morgan shouted. "Do you all seriously think JJ is a killer?"

"She has been acting strange and all this GPS activity is..." Dave said slowly. "not seeming like much of a coincidence."

"It's JJ," Reid said somberly, not sounding very confident in what he was saying however. "She's not an unsub."

"No...no, no, no, no, no," Garcia said repeatedly. "This is just all just some kind of fluke!"

"Our unsub is organized and mission oriented," I said loudly. "So they wouldn't stop until all those have wronged him or her are gone, which is true for the group that abducted JJ. Let's assume she is our unsub. She's not finished yet and she's organized. That means, somewhere in her comfort area, her home, are her knives she uses to kill. She wouldn't dispose of them until she was finished killing." I looked to Dave. "Get a warrant," I ordered and exited Garcia's office to retreat to my own, hoping that I was wrong and just being stupidly paranoid about all this.


	11. Chapter 11

/Hotch\

Morgan knocked on the front door to JJ's and Will's house and looked back at me slightly, not liking my theory of JJ being our unsub. we saw Henry run up quickly through the glass window next to the door. He opened the door and smiled, seeing the familiar faces of me and my team, as the police officers assisting in the search were behind the rest of us. I couldn't help but smile back at him, but quickly retreated to my neutral demeanor.

"Hey uncle Spencer!" He said excitedly, recognizing Reid first, who was his favorite on the team.

"Hey, Henry," Reid said, bending down and putting his hands on his knees. "Can we come in?"

"Yeah," he said in a high-pitched voice and opened the door wider. "Mommy and daddy are talking so I opened the door."

"Thank you for doing that," I said, looking around for JJ specifically. "Where's your mom and dad, Henry?"

"In dad's office," Henry said and quickly ran through the house. We quickly followed behind him while I instructed to the officers where to start their search. The officers began poking around while my team followed Henry and saw JJ and will talking behind glass pane doors. They talked a few more seconds before I opened the door to the office.

"What're you all doing here?" JJ asked.

"Uncle Spencer and some police are here," Henry said like it was an exciting event.

"I need to talk to you," I told JJ, and then looked at Will. "Both of you."

They both exited the office and JJ scanned her eyes across the faces of the team.

"Aaron, the hell is all this?" Will asked and I held up the warrant Dave got an hour or so ago.

"JJ, where were you the nights of all the murders?" I bluntly asked and she scoffed.

"Why?"

"You're our suspect," I said and kept praying I was right about this. If not, this would damage her relationship with all the members of the team in an irreversible way. She would never feel trusted again.

"Seriously?" Will asked. "That's why you asked me to keep her here?"

"'Keep me here?'" JJ repeated, sounding offended.

"Where were you those nights?" I asked again.

"At home, I've been home every night this week and last week," she snapped back.

"Your car and phone GPS say you were within blocks of where Murad was killed," I admitted and her face went pale, realizing we caught her in her first lie.

"I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk, but I was here the other two nights," she said loudly. "Why would you think I'd kill them?! I'm not a killer!"

"Can anyone confirm your alibi?" I asked blankly, as it became routine to say that to anyone we thought was lying. JJ looked to Will and he shrugged.

"I was at work late the first two nights, but the night Mark was killed, I came home and JJ was here. We had a glass of wine," he said, defending JJ.

"And you stayed up until what time?" I asked.

"I went to bed around 11, since I wasn't feeling well, but JJ..." He said slowly and paused, turning to her. "didn't you stay up and watch TV?"

"So no one can confirm your alibi?" I asked her and she didn't say anything. I looked back to the closest uniformed officer and nodded towards JJ. "JJ, have a seat, please. We need to search your house."

"What for?!" She said, now shouting and throwing her hands up in confusion. "You think I'm an unsub? Are you kidding me?!"

"M'am, please," the officer said, motioning to a kitchen seat. JJ looked at me reluctantly and sat down. Will say down right next to JJ and held her hand, rubbing his thumb over it while holding it. I turned back around and walked back towards the front of the house, my team following behind me, and made sure I was out of earshot from JJ and Will.

"Callahan, talk to Henry and see if he was with JJ the second and third night. Morgan and I will search the bedrooms upstairs, Reid and Dave, search the basement," I said quietly and everyone broke apart to go do what I ordered.

/Kate\

Henry pushed a toy fire truck back and forth on his bedroom floor. Hotch decided it'd be better if I asked him questions in a secluded area, away from the rest of the officers and team and especially his parents.

"You like fire trucks?" I asked with an easy smile and he nodded eagerly.

"They're my favorite type of car!" He giggled and I laughed back.

"Yeah, they're really cool," I said back and Henry spun the truck in a circle.

"And fast too!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah!" I said and lowered my voice a little. "Hey, speaking of cars, did your mom go anywhere late at night in a car this week?"

"I don't know," Henry shrugged, undoubtedly more interested in the toy.

"Was she ever not home one night?" I asked, rephrasing the question.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Do you remember which night?" I asked quickly.

"Three days ago," he responded. "She said she was going to dinner with Aunt Penelope."

I felt my face crinkle in confusion. Why would she say she was going out with Garcia and I if she really wasn't to her own child? I put together the timeline. Three nights ago, the night Amir was killed.

"Are you sure she wasn't home that night?" I asked, clarifying.

"I'm sure. Brenda stayed with me while mommy and daddy were gone," Henry said and the nervousness on my face must've shown, because Henry picked it up quickly. "Is mommy in trouble?"

"No," I lied. "No trouble. I was just wondering where she was." I stood up from sitting on the floor and stopped halfway out of Henry's room. "Henry, do me a favor and stay put in here, ok?"

"Ok," he answered and I left his room, closing the door behind me. I went down the steps and quickly found Hotch, whose face was also pale with nervousness.

"Anything from Henry?" He asked, his voice sounding weird.

"He said JJ wasn't here the night of Amir's death," I answered. "What did you find?" I asked, regarding his expression.

"Under the couch in the basement, we found a duffle bag with about a dozen knives. All were the same kind, and that kind was used on Murad, Amir, and Mark."

"No..." I said, not believing it.

"Garcia checked JJ's credit card activity and the knives were purchased over the span of last week from different hardware stores. She bought them."

"Are we going to make the arrest?" I asked and Hotch nodded. I sighed and Hotch handed me a pair of cuffs.

"She went to the bathroom, there's an officer right outside but go there and assist him please. We'll be here waiting."

"Alright," I said with hesitation. I didn't want to be the one to arrest my teammate and coworker, not to mention, my friend. I headed to the bathroom on the first floor and saw an officer standing outside.

"She said she'll be out in a sec," the officer said to me once he saw me and I nodded. I knocked lightly on the bathroom door.

"JJ? Hurry it up a bit?" I asked. No response. "JJ?" I repeated. No response.

Oh no.

I knocked on the door louder and still, no response. I twisted the knob and it was locked. "JJ!" I shouted.

"What's wrong?" Morgan asked, quickly running over from hearing me shout.

"She's not responding and the door won't open," I said. "JJ, I'm kicking this thing open unless you open up right now!" I warned and there was no response. I looked to Morgan and we both unholstered our weapons. I set myself up and kicked the door in, only to find an empty bathroom and an open window.


End file.
